For the Fallen Poem by Laurence Binyon Robert Laurence Binyon, by artist William Strang. Poem by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), published in The Times newspaper on 21st September 1914. With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit, Fallen in the cause of the free. Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres. There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears. They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England's foam. But where our desires are and our hopes profound, Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight, To the innermost heart of their own land they are known As the stars are known to the Night; As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain, As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end, they remain. Inspiration for “For the Fallen” Plaque unveiled in 2003 at Polzeath to commemorate the place where For the Fallen is believed to have been composed. Laurence Binyon composed his best known poem while sitting on the cliff-top looking out to sea from the dramatic scenery of the north Cornish coastline. A plaque marks the location at Pentire Point, north of Polzeath. However, there is also a small plaque on the East Cliff north of Portreath, further south on the same north Cornwall coast, which also claims to be the place where the poem was written.

The poem was written in mid September 1914, a few weeks after the outbreak of the First World War. During these weeks the British Expeditionary Force had suffered casualties following its first encounter with the Imperial German Army at the Battle of Mons on 23rd August, its rearguard action during the retreat from Mons in late August and the Battle of Le Cateau on 26th August, and its participation with the French Army in holding up the Imperial German Army at the First Battle of the Marne between 5th and 9th September 1914. Laurence said in 1939 that the four lines of the fourth stanza came to him first. These words of the fourth stanza have become especially familiar and famous, having been adopted by the Royal British Legion as an Exhortation for ceremonies of Remembrance to commemorate fallen Servicemen and women. Laurence Binyon was too old to enlist in the military forces but he went to work for the Red Cross as a medical orderly in 1916. He lost several close friends and his brother-in-law in the war.

Related Topics Daily Last Post Ceremony, Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres At the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial the words of Binyon's fourth stanza are spoken as an Exhortation during the extended Last Post ceremony. For The Fallen by Robert Laurence Binyon - Famous poems, famous poets. - All Poetry Terry Collett : Best war poem. Peter Cooper : As a New Zealander this Poem means more to me than anything else. My Great Grandfather fought in WW1 My Grandfather in WW2 and Korea My father in Malaysia and Vietnam. At the end of 'We will remember them' we reply 'lest we forget' Marco : Beautiful. Jonathan Bell : I was directed to the commemorative plaque on the clifftop near Polzeath after a chance encounter with two wonderful ladies from New Zealand. It was my late mother's birthday and so I was feeling a bit maudlin, just wandering around the cliffs, and suddenly I was moved almost beyond words by, 'They shall grow not old...' Thank you Amanda, your vivacity and life-affirming spirit will stay with me as a joyful reminder of that place.

jayne shaw : Glad i fond this poem my dad died suddenly on the 2nd of January and was always quoting the 4th stanza of this poem to me so im reading this out at his funeral im happy i found out who wrote it Sonya Katasheva : ....and I always thought the words in bold were word which Winston Churchill said!! .....I think more effort hsould have been made to give Binyon the credit. Poet.m.not : This has moved e beyond words. Doug Copeland : For 13 years I have stood with the Normandy Veterans Association on the occasion of DDay (June 6) at the memorials in Normandy France as the 4th stanza is recited in memory of these men's comrades. It is moveable beyond words. Albert F Bowden : They deserved no less, than to be remembered. AFB stephanie77 : His words cut so precisely to the heart, such a profound embrace of humanity, it leaves one numb. Alexzendar : I love the fact that i'm overwhelmed by your amazing poems MichaelLeeSmyth : It can be difficult to put into words the emotions felt over the valiant fallen.

Many efforts end up maudlin or forced. There are a some that have become classics, some that perhaps will. Wilfred Owen's "Dulce Et Decorum" is perhaps the piece that moves me the most. I would say one well worth reading as well is "1916" by Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, a tale of two childhood friends slain during the years of trench warfare. There are writes that glorify war, there are pieces that glorify the sacrifice, this one simply gives memory and respect to those gone into the annals of the fallen. Swtshypoet : beautiful poem well done venicebard : This superlatively expresses a feeling all too rare these days, the prevailing wind now being to write off the death of heroes as a pure waste (which most of the deaths in WW1 may well have been, since all that war did, thanks to U.S. intervention, was to set the stage for WW2, but still, that does not negate the value of heroism when it does matter, as I hope all sane, rational souls will agree).

The meter is somewhat rough, yet that gives it a sort of conversational tone which allows it to be old-school without being too staid or formal sounding. Very effective! Kit Hartley : Mournful snd incantationary metre never fails to move me (depends how you read it I suppose). Why do people repeat the last line of verse four on ceremonial readings? As is often the case pomp detracts from poetic impact. Chameleon Boy : Beautiful piece. greatly written. emotional. overall outstanding. thanks for sharing such a talent, really like the description and imagery it put in my head. Guilha : this is pretty good . really like how you put out the words to bring out many feelings . keep it up, nice. : This means a lot to those of who lost buddies in all the war no matter where they were fought and by whom. It grabs you by the heart and doesn't let go. We will see our buddies someday and it will be a great reunion. The fallen have gone before us to blaze the trail for us yet to come to the end. SALUTE! Morag : Whatever you think of war, the fourth verse of this poem, the one everyone repeats, does not glorify it.

Its message is both true and comforting ('They shall grow not old...'). It still brings a tear to my eye whenever I hear it. Alendar : What an amazing poem. Line 21 is awkward-sounding to me (heresy!), Mr. Binyon. It puts the verb "are" and "profound" together and I don't think "profound" is a verb. Other than that, good job! Hee-hee! Ahkam : Beautifully written...Excellent : Very nicely written. Tremendous impact on emotions. Wording is point on. Flow is beautiful. Great job. : From guest judi Tapper ( contact ) I am Pres. of the Dept. of NJ American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. and I end my speeches with the most powerful stanza - they shall not grow old..............., I love it and of course I always quote the author and the year it was written. So true. Thank you to Laurence. God bless, Judi, Proud Mom of PO1,US Navy Seal David M.

Tapper, KIA, Afghanistan, 8/20/2003 - Served his country of for 13 years and left behind his beautiful wife Tracy and their four children. May all our fallen rest in peace. I-Like-Rhymes : There are few British people of any generation who do not know the spine tinglinging feeling of that 4th stanza intoned slowly and dramatically every November but seen here in its entirity we can see why the poem was chosen ... "With proud thanksgiving. . ." those three words and the poem that follows depict the feeling of so many parents of Binyon's era and beyond who have suffered loss. This word reassures them that their sons (and daughters) were not squandered needlessly. Jim : From guest I C BINYON ( contact ) SO MANY WORD REFLECT THE WAY SO MANY PEOPLE FEAL TODAY 3 WAR ALMOST SUTCH A LOSS SUTCH A PRICE Von Powell : 'They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.' You are so right - this has always been a moving statement and no matter the language in which it is spoken the meaning is the same: Lest We Forget! Von - Oldpoetry : From guest Marline McAllister ( contact ) I teach French at the University of the Third Age, here in Melbourne, Australia. As Anzac day will be remembered here soon (25th April),I was preparing a handout for class discussion when I came upon Laurence Binyon's poem ," For the Fallen" Ils ne vieilliront pas,contrairement à nous qui auront cette chance, Ils ne seront pas épuisés par l'age, ni condamnés par les années, A la tombée de la nuit et au petit matin, Nous nous souviendrons d'eux. It is every bit as moving in French and I shall be encouraging my class to remember not only Laurence Binyon's countrymen who fell, but also those of the other nations (enemies too) whose boys endured the same fate and experienced the same horrors and the same fears .

: From guest David Skinner ( contact ) When it comes to allies, it works well in French too. My father is now 87, in WW2 he was a Royal Marine Commando and I have been with him in Normandy for one of the many Pilgrimages undertaken by the survivors of his Commando, where the 4th Stanza is cited in both English and French, very moving. : From guest Colonel (ret) P.J. Roos ( contact ) Sorry! I should have read the comments below first!!! Condemn it is. : From guest Colonel (ret) P.J. Roos ( contact ) Last word, second line: which is correct? "condemn" or "contemn"...I see BOTH used!!! Please advise. Kind regards, Colonel (ret) P. J. Roos First World War.com - Prose & Poetry - Laurence Binyon What's New Prose & Poetry - Laurence Binyon Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), the poet and art critic, was born in Lancaster in 1869.

He worked at the British Museum before going to war, having studied at Trinity College, Oxford where he won the Newdigate poetry prize. Whilst on the staff of the British Museum he developed an expertise in Chinese and Japanese art. Sponsored Links Aside from his best known poem For The Fallen (1914), most notably the fourth stanza which adorns numerous war memorials, Binyon published work on Botticelli and Blake among others. He returned to the British Museum following the war. His Collected Poems was published in 1931. For The Fallen With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit, Fallen in the cause of the free. Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres, There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears. They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted; They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Poetry By Heart | For the Fallen 2015 Finalist: Dana Nitzani from Poetry By Heart on Vimeo . Background to the poem This is one of the most famous and enduring poems of World War One and its fourth stanza is frequently used in services of remembrance to commemorate the fallen. Speaking in 1939 when he was seventy, Binyon recalled that the ‘They shall not grow old’ stanza which is now so well known and loved came to him first and dictated the rhythmical pattern of the poem. He wrote ‘For the Fallen’ in 1914 after the battles of Mons and Marne in the early stages of the war. Consider how Binyon achieves the dignified, respectful and tender tone of the poem. What is it about the structure and diction of the poem that helps it to be both a moving tribute to the fallen and a poem that seeks to console and comfort those left behind?

In the second line of the fourth stanza, there is an echo of the cadences of Enobarbus’ tribute to Cleopatra in Shakespeare’s play, Antony and Cleopatra. For readers familiar with this play, the allusion might deepen a sense of the eternal youth and beauty of the fallen. How do you react to this idea of war and its combatants? How do you react to this technique for creating pathos? About Laurence Binyon At the outbreak of war the Oxford educated Laurence Binyon was an established and respected scholar, author and poet. He was keeper of oriental prints and drawings at the British Museum and was part of a circle of artists and writers who were at the heart of the modernist movement. Binyon was too old to enlist but he worked for the Red Cross as a medical orderly in 1916. After the war he returned to the British Museum writing numerous influential and highly regarded books on art until his retirement from the Museum in 1933. Professorships in literature in America and Athens followed and Binyon completed an acclaimed translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy between 1933 and 1943.

He and his wife Cicely Powell the historian had three daughters all of whom became accomplished artists. He is one of the sixteen Great War poets commemorated on a slate stone in Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner. His most famous poem, ‘For The fallen’ was published in The Times in 1914 and the circumstances of its composition on the Cornish coast are commemorated with two plaques erected on the cliffs. The Ode | Australian Army Army museum network The Ode In most ceremonies of remembrance there is a reading of an appropriate poem. One traditional recitation on Anzac Day is the Ode. The Ode comes from For the Fallen, a poem by the English poet and writer Laurence Binyon and was published in London in the Winnowing Fan; Poems of the Great War in 1914. The verse, which became the League Ode, was already used in association with commemoration services in Australia in 1921. "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them." Each year after Anzac Day and Remembrance Day debate rises on the word 'condemn' or 'contemn'. The Ode used is the fourth stanza of the poem For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon and was written in the early days of World War One. By mid September 1914, less than seven weeks after the outbreak of war, the British Expeditionary Force in France had already suffered severe casualties. Long lists of the dead and wounded appeared in British newspapers. It was against this background that Binyon wrote For the Fallen. The poem was first published in The Times on 21 September 1914 using the word 'condemn'. Some people have suggested that the use of 'condemn' in The Times was a typographical error. However, The Winnowing Fan, published a month or two later and for which Binyon would have had galley proofs on which to mark amendments, 'condemn' was again used.

The British Society of Authors, executors of the Binyon estate, says the word is definitely 'condemn', while the British Museum, where Binyon worked, says its memorial stone also shows 'condemn'. Both expressed surprise when told there had been some debate about the matter in Australia. The condemn/contemn issue seems to be a distinctly Australian phenomenon. Inquiries with the British, Canadian and American Legions revealed that none had heard of the debate. 'Contemn' is not used in Binyon's published anthologies and the two volumes set, Collected Poems, regarded as the definitive version of Binyon's poems, uses 'condemn'. The Returned and Services League handbook shows 'condemn' and a representative of the Australian War Memorial said it always used 'condemn' in its ceremonies. POEM For The Fallen by Laurence Binyon - YouTube POEM For The Fallen by Laurence Binyon Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Published on Jan 9, 2014 PLease see my Poetry Playlists William Wordsworth Poetry English Poetry Playlist here William Shakespeare Sonnets Thomas Hardy Poetry and Stories John Clare Poetry Emily and Anne Bronte Poetry Rupert Brooke Poetry D H Lawrence Poetry Robert Louis Stevenson Poetry Edgar Allan Poe Poetry Walt Whitman Poetry William Blake Poetry Christina Rossetti Poetry The "Ode of Remembrance" is an ode taken from Laurence Binyon's poem, "For the Fallen", which was first published in The Times in September 1914. The poet wrote For the Fallen, which has seven stanzas, while sitting on the cliffs between Pentire Point and The Rumps in north Cornwall, UK. A stone plaque was erected at the spot in 2001 to commemorate the fact. The plaque bears the inscription: For the Fallen Composed on these cliffs 1914 There is also a plaque on the beehive monument on the East Cliff above Portreath in central North Cornwall which cites that as the place where Binyon composed the poem. A plaque on a statue dedicated to the fallen in Valleta, Malta is also inscribed with these words.

The poem honoured the World War I British war dead of that time, and in particular the British Expeditionary Force, which by then already had high casualty rates on the developing Western Front. The poem was published when the Battle of the Marne was foremost in people's minds. War memorial in ChristChurch Cathedral, Christchurch, NZ Over time, the third and fourth stanzas of the poem (although often just the fourth)[1] were claimed as a tribute to all casualties of war, regardless of state. WWI Poetry: On Veterans Day, The Words Of War : NPR Heard on Morning Edition Four U.S. soldiers, runners for the 315th Infantry, pose in France in November 1918. The troops reportedly carried official orders to Lt. Col. Bunt near Etraye, France, shortly before noon, Nov. 11, 1918, announcing that the armistice had been signed, thereby ending World War I. AP hide caption toggle caption AP Veterans Day — originally Armistice Day — was renamed in 1954 to include veterans who had fought in all wars. But the day of remembrance has its roots in World War I — Nov.

11, 1918 was the day the guns fell silent at the end of the Great War. On this Veterans Day, we celebrate the poetry of World War I, one of the legacies of that conflict. English poet Rupert Chawner Brooke died of dysentery aboard a troop ship headed for Gallipoli in April 1915. His poem "The Soldier" is one of the most famous poems written during World War I. Sherril Schell/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Sherril Schell/Getty Images English poet Rupert Chawner Brooke died of dysentery aboard a troop ship headed for Gallipoli in April 1915. His poem "The Soldier" is one of the most famous poems written during World War I. Sherril Schell/Getty Images Soldiers like Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, John McCrae and Rupert Brooke wrote evocative poems about their experiences. One of the most famous poems of the war is Brooke's "The Soldier." Brooke died of dysentery aboard a troop ship headed for Gallipoli in April 1915.

The opening verse of "The Soldier" reads: If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed; A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware, Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam, A body of England's, breathing English air, Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home. Every schoolchild learns some of these World War I poems and the classroom is one of the only places they can be found today. There's another poem — one most Americans don't know — that lives on around the world. Every year since 1921, the fourth verse of Laurence Binyon's "For the Fallen" has been read aloud at remembrance services in Britain and across the British Commonwealth countries. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

Article continues after sponsorship Binyon wrote the poem in the fall of 1914, at the very beginning of the war, says Sarah Cole, an Associate Professor at Columbia University and author of Modernism, Male Friendship, and the First World War. More On Veterans Day A Veterans Day Without Veterans "It certainly represents an early moment of the war," Cole says. "... It's memorializations as anticipatory. ... They are setting the stage for thinking about and remembering the dead that are oncoming now." As for the poet himself, Binyon isn't that well known, largely because he wasn't a "soldier" poet, but Cole says he did play his part in the war — but as a non-combatant. At 46, he was too old to fight but he volunteered in with a hospital unit in France. "He was in-between generations," she explains.

There was the older generation of fathers "who are often condemned by some of the famous war poets as being kind of callously irresponsible and even kind of criminal in sending their sons off to be killed, but nor was he young enough to fight." Binyon wrote "For the Fallen" while sitting on the cliffs at Pentire Head in Cornwall after reading early casualty reports from the Western Front. A plaque commemorating his life was placed there in 2003. It's inscribed with the four lines that are still read aloud every year — nearly 100 years later.

They shall not grow old: 'For the fallen', Laurence Binyon - Telegraph Inside the First World War Part Twelve They shall not grow old: 'For the fallen', Laurence Binyon One of the most famous poems written during the war, Laurence Binyon's 'For the Fallen' set out a consolatory framework for the bereaved – as revealed in this analysis Poppies look their best at this time of year thanks to the long evenings Photo: Fotolia Commentary by Nigel Steel Principal historian for IWM’s First World War Centenary Programme 5:45PM BST 30 Jul 2014 Laurence Binyon wrote one of the best known and most frequently recited verses of the First World War . Across the world, and particularly the Commonwealth, the central stanza of his poem For the Fallen is regularly used to proclaim and affirm the resolve of nations and communities neither to forget nor overlook the effort and sacrifice of the First World War generation, as well as their successors in later wars and conflicts. Yet few remember who wrote the words. The poem’s smooth, rhythmic flow and formal, elegant language, embody the profound sense of respect, admiration and grief that hangs over modern acts of collective remembrance.

Yet the poem was not written by a soldier who had seen action but by a civilian less than a month after the start of the fighting. Born in Lancaster in 1869, Laurence Binyon was keeper of oriental prints and drawings at the British Museum when the First World War began in August 1914. He was an established and well-respected scholar, poet and author. Aged 45, Binyon was too old to enlist, but in 1915 he volunteered as an orderly with the French hospital services, a task he undertook again the following year as the casualties rolled in from Verdun. After the war, Binyon continued at the British Museum until his retirement in 1933. He was appointed professor of poetry and literature first at Havard and then Athens and died following an operation in 1943. Related Articles With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit, Fallen in the cause of the free.

**Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres, There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears. They *went with songs to the battle, they ***were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted; They fell with their faces to the foe. **They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: ***Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning ****We will remember them. They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound, Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight, To the innermost heart of their own land they are known As the stars are known to the Night; ****As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain; As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end, they remain. *For the Fallen was written early in September 1914 as news began to filter through of the fighting at Mons and the retreat that followed. The same news provided a dynamic spur to Lord Kitchener’s recruiting drive, with 33,000 men enlisting on September 3 alone. Compared to casualty levels after the Somme , British losses in 1914 were relatively small but still a shock. What is remarkable about Binyon’s poem is that it anticipates those much higher, later losses and lays down a consolatory framework for understanding them.

**On his 70th birthday in August 1939, Laurence Binyon explained that the idea for his most famous poem came to him on a clifftop at Polzeath in Cornwall: ‘‘The stanza ‘They Shall Grow Not Old’ was written first and dictated the rhythmical movement of the whole poem.’’ The words of these four crucial lines beat sonorously in monosyllables, echoing the solemn, funereal drums of the second stanza. It is this sombre, repetitive rhythm that invests the fourth stanza with such enduring power when read aloud in public. ***In his references to youth and not growing old, Binyon anticipates the sentiments evoked only a few weeks later by Rupert Brooke in his famous sonnets and particularly Peace. To drive home this point, Binyon also includes a subtle Shakespearean reference. When Enobarbus returns to Rome in Antony and Cleopatra he evokes with some excitement Cleopatra’s eternal youth and beauty: ‘‘Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/Her infinite variety’’. The subliminal cadences of Shakespeare add further to the power of Binyon’s lines.

****Binyon’s poem was first published in The Times on September 21, 1914. Its measured, elegiac tone resonated with increasing power as the war evolved. The closing image of stars sparkling in the infinity of the heavens offered consolation and hope to those whose husbands, sons, brothers and friends were dying in increasing numbers. As a traditional ode, formal and dignified, the whole poem had spiritual depth and meaning. But its central stanza in particular meant, and continues to mean 100 years on, that everyone, through the line that stands at its heart, could together sound aloud their determination that ‘‘We will remember them’’. wreath They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables of home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound, Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight, To the innermost heart of their own land they are known As the stars are known to the Night; As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain; As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end, they remain.

NEED TO KNOW: ‘flesh of her flesh’: family  the people of England ‘the fallen’: men brutally killed in war  the British and their allies, but not Germans and theirs ‘august’: (rhyming with 'for dust') 'majestic', 'inspiring respect' ‘the immortal spheres’: the orbits of the planets, therefore 'the sky', the traditional location of ‘heaven’ ‘staunch’: firm, loyal ‘with their faces to the foe’: advancing to kill, not turning to retreat ‘at the going down of the sun…’: evening and sunrise  military tradition starts the day with the bugle call ‘Reveille’ at dawn and ends at sunset with the ‘Last Post’, a bugle call often played at military funerals and Remembrance ceremonies ‘no lot’: no part in ordinary everyday working life ‘foam’: the sea, here the English Channel and the North Sea ‘well-spring’: a deep source of water (essential to life) which feeds a water well THE STORY OF THE POEM Laurence Binyon, who was 45 in 1914, was a British academic and poet.

He worked for the Red Cross during the First World War, and did not visit the front line until 1916. He wrote this poem, which became more famous than its writer, soon after the war began in August 1914. At that time men were volunteering to fight. It was easy then to encourage people to feel a kind of romantic idealism about fighting for one’s country, and to support ‘the cause of the free’  especially as Britain entered the war to ‘rescue’ Belgium, which the German army had just invaded. Not many people in Britain in 1914 knew what war was really like. Their ideas of it were associated with fine uniforms, heroic and selfless behaviour, skill in using weapons, and reports of military success. At this time many British men were unemployed and living in poverty, and they saw joining up as a way of earning a wage  and doing something important for their country at the same time. They knew it would be dangerous, but believed it would be a noble and heroic way to die. And many of them would die, as Laurence Binyon realised. So he wrote his poem to express a romantic view of war.

He had no difficulty getting it published in a national paper: ideas like these were easier to live with than the harsh truth, and readers bereaved by war might find their sadness a little less hard to bear. As it turned out, this war was the most horrific there had yet been. People did turn for comfort to Laurence Binyon’s poem. After the war, when Remembrance Day ceremonies began to take place every November, lines from the poem (especially the fourth verse) became familiar to many, whether recited at Remembrance Day ceremonies or as words engraved on headstones in war cemeteries round the world. In a way, the poem took a significant part in creating the manner and tone of Remembrance, inventing for soldiers’ deaths an almost spiritual grandeur that had little or no basis in the real events of the war. WHAT DOES THE POEM SAY? Poets, it’s often been said, are painters who use words instead of paints. Both poets and painters create images. A poet’s images can be seen by the mind’s eye, and poems, just like paintings, can depict people and events and, more importantly, stir ideas and arouse emotions. What images can the mind’s eye see in this particular poem?

What is the effect of the language the poet uses  both simple and grand? The backdrop is space: the vast expanse of the solar system, the sun (as it brings night and day to the earth), and the stars. To Laurence Binyon (and a great many other poets and religious people before him) outer space was a symbol for heaven, prompting spiritual feelings and values which he believed had always existed and would endure for ever. He did not look at the stars with a scientist’s eye. He wanted to find a way of saying that the soldiers  the British soldiers, that is  would be immortal, as he believed the stars to be. So he wrote of the dead in a series of negative statements. They won’t get old and weary and die. (Does this mean that, being spared old age, they are more fortunate than the rest of us? Is this what one could feel about anyone who dies young?) They will never hang out again with their mates. They won’t have family lives, or jobs. They ‘sleep’ in the foreign lands where they were killed. (The broken and battered bodies of many thousands were buried there, but many thousands more bodies have never even been found.

Farmers still turn up bones every year as they plough the former battlefields.) But of course the soldiers were not asleep. And the people who knew them, who mourn them, were awake, alive, and grieving. The idea that the dead men are in some sense not really dead was a false idea, created to help the bereaved. The poet knew that the young, fit soldiers he was writing about would not come home. But he had little to say about what really happened to them. He painted war as something vague and abstract, but grand and noble, giving young men a chance to show how brave and selfless they could be. In real war that means showing what effective killers they are, too, but the poet did not mention that, except to say they were eager to fight. The drums of war ‘thrill’, he said, and fighting is a fine way to die. War, for him, has its own music, its own ‘glory’. But most people now have some idea of what the First World War was really like. We know about the thousands killed, on both sides, as they struggled over small patches of territory repeatedly gained and lost.

We know about the terrible wounds, the mud, the cold, the frightful noise of the guns, the shell-shock, and the fear. The experience implied in Laurence Binyon’s poem had nothing to do with reality. Can ‘For the Fallen’ help anyone who is bereaved by war? Even if it can, or did, it does so on the basis of a lie. Hiding the truth keeps people in dangerous ignorance. If we understand the true nature of war, and the true nature of the suffering it creates, we are more likely to look for other, less destructive ways of dealing with aggression and political disputes. Does the poem have anything to say to people in the 21st century? Technology  and in particular the development of aircraft as war machines  has changed many of the weapons of war. Huge armies of soldiers on foot are no longer pitched against each other. Now, civilians as well as soldiers suffer armed attacks. But not everything has changed. People still attack each other with hand-carried weapons. People still fight using tactics that are centuries old. Soldiers still fight ‘on the ground’, even though their leaders try to avoid it.

And people  civilians in far greater numbers now than soldiers - continue to be killed in wars. It is more important than ever that people know the full facts about war. If they do, they are more likely to choose leaders who will reject war. We must understand that war has nothing whatever noble, heroic or spiritual about it. War wastes human lives. Not even ‘the cause of the free’ (and what does that really mean?) alters that.

Question: Who wrote the 1914 poem Tor The Fallen'?
Answer: Laurence Binyon